Uchiha Gen stroked his chin without voting immediately. Looking at the purple-haired older sister before him, whose face showed reluctance, he keenly noticed her clenched fist, then glanced at Uchiha Kaminari, who had already resigned himself to his fate.
"How about this? You two hand over the new eye techniques first. I'll assess their value. Uchiha Kaminari will be detained for now and dealt with later."
This was where prestige showed itself. When Madara had called for an execution, no one listened. But once Uchiha Gen spoke, the clansmen immediately took the two away.
"Why?"
Faced with Madara's question, Uchiha Gen did not answer. Instead, he asked about Madara's eyes.
"Big Brother, are your eyes..."
"They're fine. Better than ever!"
"All right. Actually, one of that purple-haired clanswoman's eyes is blind."
"What do you mean?"
"I mean that woman may have awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan as well."
Madara and Izuna were inwardly shocked, but quickly realized that this was actually good news. Still, if that was the case, Uchiha Chiri's request had to be considered carefully.
"Gen, how did you know that clanswoman awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan?"
"Big Brother, you wouldn't know. I've sat in this position for so long that it's easy for me to tell how clansmen act around me. Uchiha Chiri feared me less than the others."
"Oh?"
Madara truly had not noticed that. He was not interested in such details; reverence was far less important to him than one's attitude.
"Strength gives people confidence. Uchiha Chiri didn't cower before the three of us. When she heard you say she would be executed, Big Brother, her agitation was definitely genuine."
That afternoon.
Two ninjutsu scrolls were delivered to the clan head's office. Uchiha Gen opened them in front of the other two, and the first one was indeed Izanagi.
"A technique activated with the Sharingan that briefly negates the current reality? The price is permanent blindness."
Looking at its method of use and cost, the three fell into thought. This technique was powerful under certain circumstances, but... it could undermine trust among the clansmen, especially since it required a Three-Tomoe Sharingan. Once this technique became public, how could the Uchiha upper ranks trust one another? Having one extra Three-Tomoe Sharingan was equivalent to having one more life!
Madara slammed his palm onto the table, his tone extremely grave.
"This technique must never be disclosed to anyone outside the clan head's line!"
"I know."
Uchiha Gen nodded and opened the other scroll. It recorded none other than Izanami.
"Using the power of the Mangekyō Sharingan to trap the target in a cycle until they recognize their true self... The price is permanent blindness."
Another technique that sacrificed an eye, and this one required the even higher-level Mangekyō Sharingan.
Uchiha Gen felt somewhat sentimental. Though he did not know whether the original story had these two techniques at this point in time, he felt they had appeared early. Still, with Izanagi, Izuna should not die, right?
"This technique will be sealed away as well. Mangekyō Sharingan users may be few, and awakening one may be difficult, but it isn't impossible. If powerful Mangekyō users start fighting over each other's eyes, the Clan Land will suffer far too great a loss."
"I agree."
"Same here."
For the three who had already awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan, these two techniques could practically be used as soon as they understood the principles. Uchiha Gen then sealed the scrolls away. Yet they were not easy to hide; keeping them was a hidden danger, but throwing them away would be a waste. In the end, he buried them beneath the ancestral monument at Naka Shrine.
After settling the Clan Land's affairs, Uchiha Gen dragged his exhausted mind home. The temperature in the air reminded him that no one would welcome him home ever again.
"Meow~ Is it settled, meow?"
"Yeah. It's all over."
Little Kuro had slept for the entire day, curled safely in Uchiha Gen's arms. She had not felt the bumps at all.
Uchiha Gen wandered aimlessly through the room with Little Kuro in his arms. Whenever he saw a familiar object, he felt as though Haru were still there.
"Actually, Haru didn't have much time left, meow."
"Hm? What do you know?"
"Haru had old injuries. Most ninjas have old injuries on their bodies, meow. She was hurt too many times when she was young, so she didn't have many days left to begin with, meow."
"But I taught her the Chakra Breathing Method. Her body had clearly improved."
"How long can the flame of a dying candle burn, even with fresh fuel added, meow? The wick had already burned out, meow."
Uchiha Gen's face fell as he looked at Little Kuro, his eyes narrowing slightly.
"What are you doing, meow?"
"I'm thinking that if you had summoned me a little faster back then, perhaps Haru could have been saved."
"I already did my best, meow! You know perfectly well how strong you are, meow!"
"So, as my summoned beast, you... need training."
"Ninja Cats aren't good at fighting, meow!"
"Ninja Cats can become good at it~"
Little Kuro had no idea what Uchiha Gen was planning. Struggling free, she jumped to the floor and ran away.
Uchiha Gen felt the chill in the air. He removed the Divine Robe that had gained several new scratches and carefully folded it.
"Perhaps I should leave too. But before that, I need to find a way to kill Tobirama. And Black Zetsu, that sneaky bastard, actually made a move. Who knows what he's plotting? Or has he already decided to guide Madara?"
He did not know that Tobirama at the Senju Clan Grounds was still unconscious at this very moment. That punch had not been light.
Late at night, Madara and Hashirama met in secret once again.
"Hashirama, do you have anything to explain?"
"Sigh... Wasn't it because you were summoned by the Daimyo that Tobirama found an excuse? So what did the Daimyo want from you?"
"Seeing how strong the Uchiha had become, he wanted my clan to serve as the country's ninja clan."
"You agreed?"
"I almost couldn't stop myself from killing him on the spot!"
"...Whether it happened or not, the truth is that your Uchiha do have that capability."
"What are you saying?"
"Rather than going on like this, we should unite as soon as possible."
"Then let's settle it next time. My third brother won't let this go. He'll definitely be the first to strike at the Senju."
Yet Madara was mistaken. With the future of the Uchiha that he had built with his own hands ruined, Uchiha Gen had no intention of continuing to repair it. He had even begun considering leaving.
After pondering for a moment, Hashirama slowly asked, "I heard from Tobirama that a powerful fighter appeared among your Uchiha. He defeated Tobirama with just one move."
"How come I don't know about that?"
"Tobirama said he was fighting Izuna at the time. That person appeared suddenly, and his speed was so fast that he could not see clearly at all."
Madara thought about it. Someone had rushed over and defeated Tobirama in one strike? And Izuna had been there too. Could it be...
"Could the person you mean be my third brother, Uchiha Gen?"
"Huh? Isn't he good at managing the Clan Land?"
"Heh!" Uchiha Madara raised a hand and pointed at his head. "My third brother is a genius in the truest sense of the word!"
Hashirama did not understand what that meant, but he sensed Madara's faint hostility. Was Madara saying that he only relied on his physique and had no brains?
After a war that had swept through every ninja clan in the Land of Fire, nearly every clan had been badly weakened. A few small clans had even disbanded on the spot. For a time, the Land of Fire became unusually peaceful, and no one dared start another war.
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